Lightweight Foundations for Oily Skin

With the weather heating up, I find myself leaning toward lighter coverage foundations. I’ve mentioned before that I think one of the prettiest looks is “model” skin.  I try to achieve this look with an almost- transparent foundation that evens out my skintone and doesn’t look dull or cakey.

 

After I put a lightweight foundation on, I still add concealer, setting powder, under eye powders, bronzer, contour, blush, highlight, etc.  The end result still ends up looking quite full coverage.  There are also days where I just do a sheer base, mascara, lip gloss, and I’m done. The following foundations work for both looks.  I am very oily so even my lightweight foundations need to do some work to stay on my skin.

Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done / This has been such a fabulous product for me that I will definitely be repurchasing. This one evens out my skin tone and wakes up my complexion with a gorgeous finish. It is a great base to layer more products on and I always like how my skin looks throughout the day.

 

MAC Face & Body / I don’t typically wear makeup to work, but when I do need to look nicer at the office I add a squirt of this one to my spf moisturizer.  Even without a primer it holds up long past my work day and doesn’t feel like I’m wearing ANYTHING on my face. I have a bad habit of touching my face and this one doesn’t get disturbed at all.  Using it on it’s own is one of the prettiest finishes of any foundation I own and gives a light/ medium coverage.

TIP/  The best way to apply this is to warm it up in your hands and apply it with your fingers. It gets this tacky bouncy feeling when it’s ready to go on.

 

It Cosmetics CC Cream / This one has the highest coverage of the bunch, but it’s a CC Cream so it counts.  I fell in love with this foundation in college and haven’t stopped using it since. I love the 50+ SPF, coverage, formula, and versatility.  It can make you look natural and fresh for everyday, or be a great base for an ultra glam look.  It also seems to magically adjust to your skin tone. Light seems to work so perfectly on me no matter what time of year it happens to be. I like both the illumination and regular formulas.

TIP/ The trick to applying this foundation is to not use too much! If I go too heavy with it I end up getting creases on my forehead and a gross look all over.  I like to apply it with a damp sponge to soak up the excess product and really sheer it out for lighter coverage.

 

Primer / After I prep my skin with spf moisturizer, I like to pat on a primer with my hands or a brush just to get a nice finish on my skin. Depending on which one you’re using, this method can give your skin an all over matte, glowy, dewy, or hydrated finish. Either leave it at that and call it good, or move on to concealer, powder, etc. Think of it as a foundation with NO pigment. 

 

Cream Highlighter / You can turn any foundation into a lightweight one with liquid or cream illuminator.  If you’re like me, you may have a bunch of liquid highlights that never seem to run out so this helps get use out of them. Mix one part foundation, one part shimmery cream and you have a radiant sheer foundation that gives some color and coverage, with lots of dewiness.

TIP/ I like the effect best when I mix illuminators with ultra- matte foundations.  Be sure to start with primer and finish with setting spray because the foundation staying powder is altered from the mixture.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to recommend your favorite tinted moisturizer or light coverage foundation in the comments.

-Kim